5 youngest No. 1 players in the history of ICC rankings

For all the criticism the ICC rankings have copped for quite some time, it remains the only viable tool to gauge the performance of players and teams across all the three formats.

Yes, there are always ways and possible improvements to tweak the ranking system, but as of now, the parameters are uniform across all conditions that dictate the ranking of the players.

Rashid Khan, the young Afghanistan leg-spinner has turned around quite a number of heads over the past few week as he was named the leading bowler in ODI cricket.

Aged 18, Rashid became the youngest player to occupy this position in the history of the game.

Now, let us have a look at five of the youngest players to occupy the number one position in cricket across formats.

#5 Kagiso Rabada

The young quick from South Africa has been a brilliant find for them in the last two years across all the three formats and if the current promise is anything to go by, he might well be one of the greatest bowlers to have represented the Proteas.

Back in 2017, the young man became the number one ODI bowler when he was only 8040 days old and occupies the number five slot on this list.

He was also the number one Test bowler in the series against India, and these rankings encapsulate the prowess and skills of the young man.

#4 Shakib Al Hasan

Probably, the greatest cricketer to have ever played for Bangladesh, Shakib was always destined for great things owing to his capabilities as an all-rounder.

Back in 2009, Shakib was the number one all-rounder in the world and he had only seen 7976 summers of his life, which makes him the fourth youngest player to lead any ICC rankings table.

He has only grown from strength to strength ever since and has carried Bangladesh cricket on his shoulders for almost a decade now and has established himself as the fulcrum around which Bangladesh cricket has rotated.

#3 Sachin Tendulkar

Arguably the greatest ever player to have played the game, Sachin Tendulkar had captured emotions, sentiments and attention as soon he made his international debut and then almost unassumingly made the game his own over the next 25 years.

However, if he needed any stamp of authority over his pedigree, he received in 1994 when he was ranked the number one Test batsman in the world when he was 7878 days young.

He went on to plunder plenty of runs, records, and trophies and ended his career with 15,921 Test runs and 18,426 ODI runs.

The game became poorer when he hung his boots towards the end of 2013.

#2 Saqlain Mushtaq

Probably the man who made off-spin fashionable, the young Pakistan bowler was the pioneer in this craft as he not only had mastery over the orthodox off-spin but has been credited with the invention of the doosra, the ball which spins the other way.

Mushtaq played 49 Test matches and 169 ODIs and ended with 208 and 288 wickets respectively.

Back in 1998, Saqlain was ranked the number one ODI bowler when he was 7683 days old.

He held the record for a long time and was broken by Rashid Khan eventually this year.

However, despite all this prowess, he fell away quite rapidly after the unflattering display in the Multan Test back in 2004 when Virender Sehwag took to him and he ended the match with figures of 1 wicket for 204 runs.

#1 Rashid Khan

Possibly the greatest beacon of hope for a ravaged Afghanistan, young Rashid Khan has in his short career brought plenty of smiles and moments of joy for his country.

In his very young career, Rashid has already seen the many facets of the game. From making his debut for Afghanistan less than a month after his 17th birthday to becoming one of the big-ticket signings in the IPL for the Sunrisers Hyderabad, and then being one of the most sought-after players for the many T20 leagues around the world.

He now is the number 1 ODI bowler in the world and by achieving the feat in 7092 days, he is the youngest player to have ever achieved the number 1 ranking in ICC standings.

In the world cup qualifiers which are underway in Zimbabwe, he will lead Afghanistan and at 19 years, he is set to become the youngest captain in the history of international cricket.